I kind of have a thing for lentils. They're super rich in fiber, protein, and iron aka perfect for anyone following a plant-based diet or just want to stay healthy. Often times lentils or legumes have a bad reputation. Mainly in part because people can get really gassy from them...happens to the best of us :D I think the people that are affected by them in that way just don't have a fiber-rich diet, to begin with. For most people following a vegan diet though, you are used to eating a lot of fiber, thanks to all the fruits, veggies, and enormous amounts of hummus you eat a day! So having lentils should only affect you in a positive way!
Check out those little red pellets of health. So good! Oh, excuse my super wrinkly
hands. I went hand washing OCD while making this soup so afterwards my hands looked...well...OLD!
Enough talk about gas, fiber, and old hands though. Let's get to what we are really here for. I was sick of boring red lentil soups. So I decided to make a red lentil carrot soup with a spicy red curry kick.
It has some Thai inspiration, though I'm 99% sure this is not an authentic Thai soup :) That's OK though, we can pretend we're in Thailand on the beach sipping this hot red lentil soup...yeah, I don't want soup on a beach. I'll take anything fruity with a lot of alcohol instead!
OK. WAKE UP! We're not in Thailand...we're not on a beach.
Let's be real. It's freezing outside, so this warming red lentil carrot soup will have to do.
This soup has some of my favorite flavors in it. Fresh ginger, lime juice, and garlic, and top it off with coconut milk. Yum! Because I used red curry paste in this red lentil soup, lets us not have to use any broth. Red curry paste is pretty salty, to begin with and can get a bit spicy so goes easy with it if you can't handle the heat :D Thankfully there are low-sodium red curry pastes out there so that we won't all be bloated the next day.
Surprisingly, this red lentil carrot soup is also pretty easy to make. Maybe not be as easy as making your own coconut butter but as far as soups go..it's pretty simple. I left this soup nice and chunky which kept me full nearly the whole day or it might have been because I ate 3 bowls of this within 20 minutes. If you're more into creamy soups though, then you can easily use an immersion blender to puree all the ingredients once they are cooked.
Also, don't forget the toppings! No soup is complete without toppings or garnishes or whatever you want to call it. I topped mine with a bit of coconut cream, red pepper flakes, and chopped basil. Be creative though. Add whatever your heart desires...even if it's chocolate chips. OK, that's a little bit weird...but hey, there are some weird people out there, right?
Alright, forget the chocolate...just DIG IN!
Red Lentil Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Oil Olive, Sesame, Canola, etc.
- 1 White Onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger fresh, grated
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 4 tablespoon Red Curry Paste preferably low sodium
- 1 ½ cups Carrots roughly 1 large carrot or 2 smaller, grated
- 1 Red Bell Pepper diced
- 2 to Tomatoes diced
- 1 cup Red Lentils uncooked, rinsed with cold water
- 4 cups Water
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
- ¾ cups Coconut Milk
Instructions
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Heat oil over medium heat in a large stock pot.
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Add onion and ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes.
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Add garlic and red curry paste and cook 2-3 minutes until garlic becomes fragrant.
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Stir in grated carrot, bell pepper, and tomatoes. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Add lentils and water to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until lentils become tender.
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Stir in coconut milk and lime juice. Bring to a quick boil and serve.
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Garnish with chopped basil, vegan yogurt, whipped coconut cream, and/or red pepper flakes.
Feel a little lost with these ingredients? Let me help :D
Red Curry Paste - low-sodium, vegan & gluten-free! -> Note that not all curry pastes are vegan. In fact, most aren't. Most of them contain fish sauce or shrimp paste so make sure to always red the label!
Gingi says
I have recently been trying my hand at soups and stews.. but I lack a really good blender to make the gorgeous consistency you have in your dish! Ugh.. more to add to my gi-normous bucket list, hehe! ^_^ - http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Cara's Healthy Cravings says
Yuummmm! I love red lentil soups. I love how naturally creamy they are.
A good spicy soup is such good cold weather medicine.
Terje says
Whaaaat, you've got to be kidding me! I was trying to come up with a lentil soup just yesterday, after realising over the weekend that I had stockpiled quite a lot of different lentils in my cupboard. And since I had some red thai curry paste left over, I wanted to use that in the soup... of course with onion and garlic and red bell pepper and carrots and lemon juice... Even wrote the ingredients down for myself already and did the grocery shopping! And then this morning I pop on your site and see this post XD
I may have to remake mine to a more Mediterranean-flavour soup now, can't post basically the same recipe in my blog :D The only ingredient I hadn't thought of using was ginger. Well, I may have to make your soup this time and keep my (soon to be changed) recipe for later.
...I really can't stop laughing over this coincidence! Mind is blown.
Vanessa says
Oh that's too funny. You won't believe how often that has happened to me. I've had posts all ready to go and then I check out someones blog and they just happen to have the exact same thing up. Not fun! At least you haven't gone through the work yet of making it, taking pictures, etc. A mediterranean lentil soup sounds delicious too though. I'll be sure to check that out :D
Terje says
Haha yes, I'm glad I hadn't done that yet! Would have been devastating to be one click away from publishing the post and then discover the same recipe recently uploaded here. I'll let you know once the recipe is done and uploaded! :)
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
We are making a lot of lentil sounds at the moment. So cheap and so healthy too!
Vanessa says
A lot of lentil sounds? haha or did you mean soups? I think both work :)
Maria G. says
I like red lentil soups and stews – what a great idea to combine it with carrots!
Cailee says
YUM!! This looks amazing! I love lentil soup!! ...and I just got some red lentils!! :) Great recipe!! So healthy and nourishing! :) Love it!
Manali @ CookWithManali says
I drink lentil soup practically everyday..we call it "dal" in India and it's eaten everyday with roti [whole wheat flatbread] :) This looks delicious..I once had a Thai carrot soup at Whole Foods and loved it! Pinning this.
Vanessa says
Oh Manali! Stop talking about dal and roti! Those are two of my favorite foods and no matter how hard I try...I'm no good at making authentic incredible tasting Indian food :( Thanks for pinning!
Linda @ Veganosity says
I've been eating a lot more carrots lately, for the beta-carotene, so this soup is calling my name! Gorgeous pictures, and your hands don't look old! :)
Candy Napier says
Confused about the fat content? 52?
Vanessa says
Oh wow! Thank you for pointing that out. Now sure what happened there. Recalculated it!
Doug says
Thanks for the recipe - I've never tried whipped coconut cream as a topping! Sounds delicious.
Teri says
I love this recipe! How long does it last in the fridge? I like to make a big batch on Sunday for a quick meal throughout the week! Thanks in advance!
Vanessa says
Hi Teri, I always make this in a huge batch as well. I've kept in the fridge for up to 5 days without it going bad. Hope you like it :) I would just try to only reheat the amount that you will actually be eating at a time. I don"t suggest cooling, heating, cooling, heating it over and over again.
Barbara V says
Made this for a healthy lunch and it is so quick and delicious! We can't wait to eat leftovers this week.
Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks, Barbara! I'm so happy you liked this red lentil carrot soup!
Kia says
Made a double-batch this week and it is delicious! I added a block of tofu and a chopped sweet potato as well. Thanks for a great recipe!
Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks Kia! I'm so happy you liked the Red Lentil Carrot Soup. It's one of my favorite soups to make this time of year ;)
Scott Williams says
This carrot soup is very delicious and my kids loved it when she was recovering from the flu. We still make it on occasion when she requests it because she loves the taste. Thanks for this recommendation :)
Vanessa Croessmann says
Thanks Scott! I'm so glad your kids like it as well ;) It's one of our favorite soups ;)